PowerChina said the 100 MW Redstone CSP plant in South Africa has achieved grid connection. The project will supply 480 GWh of clean energy per year to South African utility Eskom under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
“The project uses advanced molten salt storage technology in a tower configuration and is equipped with 41,260 heliostats that accurately reflect sunlight onto the solar tower heat receiver,” the company said. “The stored molten salt provides twelve hours of full load operation, ensuring continuous electricity generation even after sunset.”
Located in Siyanda district, the Redstone project is the first molten salt thermal solar tower installation in sub-Saharan Africa. PowerChina said this is the largest investment project in South Africa’s Northern Cape province.
ACWA Power of Saudi Arabia owns 49% of the facility and is the largest shareholder. The project, selected under South Africa’s REIPP programme, required an investment of $724 million.
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